Russell William Polivka

Military
media-46709.jpeg UPL 46709 Russell W Polivka

Object Number - UPL 46709 - Russell W Polivka

Lt. Russell W. Polivka was a navigator, and part of the replacement crew assigned to the B-24D Liberator, 41-11768, Kickapoo, in the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 9th Air Force, for Operation Tidal Wave over Ploesti, Romania. Flown by Lt. Robert Nespor and Lt. John C. Riley, Kickapoo, crashed shortly after taking off for the mission, losing an outboard (#4) engine just after getting airborne, which, then, caught fire while the pilots were banking back toward the field to try to land. After bouncing and drifting off the centerline of the runway, their left wing hit a concrete pole, cartwheeling the plane into the ground in a fireball of flames. Lt. Russell Polivka, the navigator and fellow crewman Staff Sgt. Eugene Garner, their engineer/gunner, were the only two men to escape alive from the burning and wrecked airplane and survive their burns. 8 KIA - 2 WIA. 1 Aug 43.



~ The B-24D - Kickapoo's Replacement Crewmen For The Ploesti Mission 1943 :



1st Lt. Robert J. Nespor - Pilot (KIA)



2nd Lt. John C. Riley - CoPilot (KIA) Detached Service from 93rd BG



2nd Lt. Russell W. Polivka - Navigator / nose gunner (WIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



2nd Lt. Thurman L. Ward - Bombardier (KIA) D.S. from the 93rd Bomb Group



TSgt. Vaun D. Wenrich - Top Turret Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



TSgt. Armand R. Massart - Radio Operator (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



SSgt. George W. Lawlor - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



SSgt. Edwin G. Sliwa - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



SSgt. Eugene R. Garner - Gunner (WIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



SSgt. John P. D'Armour - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG



Due to the abort after takeoff and subsequent crash, Lt. Nespor's crew did not receive mission credit and their names do not appear in the official AAF History Roster of Personnel for DFCs.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 93rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron 567th Bomb Squadron 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18124310
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33278362
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18051855 / O-435980
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16006213 / O-?
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-519127
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Kickapoo
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Hail Columbia - Little Chief Big Dog - Grumpy
  • Unit: 376th Bomb Group 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Neenah, WI, USA 8 June 1919 Son of William and Ina [Carpenter] Polivka.

Enlisted

Milwaukee, WI 7 September 1940 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Other

Wounded in Action

Benghazi, Libya 1 August 1943 Navigator B-24 liberator 41-11768 'Kickapoo' of 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Crashed shortly after take-off for the 1-Aug-43 low-level Ploesti, Romania mission. She lost an engine just after getting airborne and then caught fire while banking back toward the field to land, then a wing touched the ground and she smashed into a concrete pole and burst into flames. WIA.

Other

Hospitalised

1 August 1943 - 1 February 1945 Year and a half reconstructive surgery for burns from accident.

Died

Neenah, WI, USA 28 April 2005

Other

Assigned

Benghazi, Libya 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF.

Buried

St Margaret's Cemetery Neenah, WI St Margaret's Cemetery Neenah, Wisconsin, USA.

Revisions

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

Added to awards based on date of entry and bio data.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Wording, spacing, and punctuation changes for clarity - Kickapoo

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - KICKAPOO

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Wording and punctuation changes for clarity - John S Young Jr ----- Personal Archives - John S Young Jr

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Kickapoo'

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Kickapoo'

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'KICKAPOO'

Date
Changes
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
- Ted's Traveling Circus

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Russell William Polivka: Gallery (3 items)